Shoelace Protest

I tied my shoes this morning—
double knot, like they taught me—
tight, controlled,
predictable.

But halfway through the day
they came undone anyway.

Not dramatic.
No speech.
No sirens.
Just a quiet unraveling
against pavement.

And I stood there—
one lace dragging like a question—
thinking how strange it is
that the smallest failures
trip us hardest.

So I didn’t retie them.

No kneel.
No fix.
No quiet compliance.

I walked.

Let them slap the concrete,
whisper against the ground,
announce each step
like a soft rebellion.

People noticed—
or maybe they didn’t—
but I felt it:

Every loose thread
a refusal.

Every step
a protest against the idea
that everything
must always be held together
just because
someone showed you how.

By the time I got home,
they were filthy, frayed,
nearly undone completely.

And I thought—
good.

Let them be.

Not everything broken
needs to be fixed.

Some things
just need to be seen.

Comments

Leave a comment